It was like the set of a movie—the breeze had died, it was hot, there was a baby crying, and the standoff was set. On one side was a committee of lawmakers, on the other, the homeschooling host. The matter at hand: the future of homeschool freedom in New Hampshire.
The hearing started at high noon. Homeschooling parents from across the state decided that practical civics was the curriculum of the day and drove to the state capitol. I had flown in the night before to testify, and I watched as what started as a trickle eventually became a torrent of families on their way to testify in favor of homeschool freedom.
First they filled the committee hearing room. Then they filled the committee room across the hall, and then another one down the hall, and another, and another. Eventually they filled the hallway itself. Then the hearing began.
Good laws make strong homeschools
At the core of homeschool freedom are the excellent state laws, regulations, and case law that protect and support it. There are a lot of ideas about how homeschooling should be supported or regulated, but for HSLDA and HSLDA Action the principle is simple: Families should have the freedom to provide the best education they can for their kids and be unencumbered in their ability to do so.
HSLDA has long held that good homeschool laws should not create education savings accounts (ESAs) or subsidize homeschooling. History shows this kind of involvement always comes with strings attached, and we’ve seen firsthand what that looks like as we’ve battled regulations over the past few years.
HSLDA does recognize the need for financial assistance, but we see a way forward that doesn’t involve government terms and conditions. That’s why we’ve been hard at work crafting model legislation to provide financial relief for homeschooling families.
More on that later. For now, let’s get back to the hearing.